House of Orléans

House of Orléans, Name of the cadet or junior branch of the Valois and Bourbon houses of France. Of the four dynasties of princes, Philippe I (1336–75) died without an heir. Descendants of the second dynasty, headed by Louis I (1372–1407), held the title until 1545. The third dynasty was headed by Gaston (1608–60), whose title from 1626 passed to the fourth dynasty under Philippe I (1640–1701), younger brother of Louis XIV. Philippe’s descendants included Louis-Philippe-Joseph, duke d’Orléans, and Louis-Philippe, king of France from 1830 to 1848.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Maren Goldberg, Assistant Editor.